After 1997, I have no idea why, but there are so many changes
that occurred in my life. The nature of
being happy, cheerful, with a bird like heart, I know everything, I can do
anything, I will not make any mistake, I can do everything and I shall be
successful kind of attitude started going down a bit. There were successes but a few small
instances; a few hurdles have shaken the roots of the tree. So the self-confidence was hit and so the heart
would melt with feeling and emotion for everything and started questioning
every small work that is being started.
After about 15-16 years of this struggle, one day I happened
to see on facebook a small Event that changed this lack of interest, concern or
enthusiasm winning my heart. It is the
Winter Arts Intensive at Chinmaya Naada Bindu which was conducted 15-21st
December in 2013. Such instances can be
indicative of what can happen in one week to get peace-of-mind, independency bringing
the active, cheerful and jovial life sometimes!!
Last June my daughter completed her studies and returned
home. Her efforts to fine finish the art
of dance, surprisingly shaken the roots and loosened the soil completely. At that time she wished to go for the “Monsoon
session at CNB”, however got other works and could not. We had conducted a “Bhagvadgita parayana”programme,
which gave some soothing effect. Then she
registered for the “Winter Arts Intensive”.
My husband encouraged me also to apply and said you will also have some
change. I did not have five days leave
at office, they would cut the salary. Then,
all the more I felt I must go. In this
life whatever we do, what all we do need not be seen for money alone, we must
do for ourselves, our happiness and cheerfulness we must give some time, I felt.
There I am, I registered at WAI, CNB. Both of us reached one day earlier, as was instructed. We reached our niece’s house, had lunch, seen
around and their family drove us to Kolwan.
The atmosphere itself attracted us, the hill ranges, the mud hills, the
exultated atmosphere in the moon-lit night, we enjoyed.
We sent them back and reached for dinner where we met
ramaakka. There itself she gave us ‘homework’. She gave us a Ganesh stuti and asked each one
of us to choreograph a line and reassemble at 6 am sharp. Till late night we saw to that practice,
slept, got up early, took bath with the hot water and ran out into the cold
weather. Walked for almost 2 km to a
Ganesh temple nearby, we all prayed, and did the dance that we all choreographed,
all ten of us a line each while she put nattuvangam and sang the song for
us. I got over all my doubts, I almost
performed what all I prepared to present.
In the temple premise, she taught us the steps, pranayama etc. She also explained why a tortoise is kept in
the middle of the temple hall. The animal
protects itself from the external world and lives a spiritual life, it is in
itself crumpled up as if meditating. It also
focuses its gaze on its eggs, thus it is said we all also must focus on God in
a temple to gain strength from Him.
Later we attended Pramodini Rao and Himanshu Nanda class on
Dhyana. Went to our class to do ádavu’s
and divided into two groups of five each for practice. We were taught a Siva panchakshari stuti
while of the student’s was playing harmonica and were taught the way to choreograph
each line separately to bring out the meaning thoroughly. The entire ‘nava rasas’were brought into and
the entire composition was a great lesson.
Next day we went to Pramodini akka’s class where she taught
us to do ÓM Kara’saadhana. We all did it
individually. The diffidence and
hesitation left us and some kind of an energy flow was into us, removing all
the cold, cough etc from our bodies. It was
more like ‘pranayama’kriya. Another day
when we went to her class she has made us do the Öm Kara’with “sa rig a ma …’swaras
drawing them in some graphical notations…………. It was extremely a fun and
wonderful….. forming a great health healer.
‘sa rig a ma……..’means it reminds me, ramakka one day
described her article named ‘swarabhisvaram’ in which she described each of the
swara in light of dance – the natya shastra.
She taught us hastas, mudras, nava rasas, ashta vidha nayakas and
nayikas, bhaavas – the stayi, vivhava and anubhavas,..etc. She taught so many more things regarding
dance theory related to practice. She showed
as several videos too. Especially the
one performed by Ramaa Vaidyanathan – feeding little Krishna while telling Sri
Rama story was very enthralling. She also
took a demo class on ‘rhythm’for vocal and flute students. She gave several jaati, taala, laya, gati
differences and explained very simply.
Since she has kept the workshop in abhinaya and
improvisation, she chose a nice ‘padam’- maalai pulozhanile orunaal’ a Tamil song. She taught us with such cleverness that until
the end we all did not know the suspense.
She chose it also very cleverly such that students in her class aged
between 20 and 50 and a boy too could learn, perform and own it by themselves. I had wanted to learn a padam and learnt it,
but somehow could not present it fully as probably it was in Tamil. I took a little longer time for practice and
am able to do it now. She chose three
students for final performance.
Ramakka choreographed the item for us with a lot of
discipline, cleverness and skill. Each word
she wrote, explained the meaning in English and danced to show subtle
differences in abhinaya. She taught in
how many ways it can be danced. Every dancer
could own for herself/himself. So, all
ten people in the class performed it in ten different ways suitable for the
person, as if it was choreographed for them individually.
This way WAI made an impact in my heart, made me cheerful,
exuberant and happy. I may start the “Sri
Gnana Sundari sangeeta nritya academy”, which my mother started and not
continued. Whether I do that or not, the
earlier lost cheerfulness has come back and I am happy. I would like to thank ramakka for that and
give her good wishes.
………………………………………xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx………………………………………………
